Tent-stake



H. 0. WELLMAN.

TENT STAKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9. 1915.

Patented Aug; 1, 1916.

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HENRY O. WELLMAN, 0F EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 WELLMAN SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

TENT-STAKE.

Application filed August 9, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. WELLMAN, of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tent- Stakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tovstakes or ground pins which are employed for the purpose of securing the outer ends of the guy ropes usually employed to properly hold a wall tent, and the object of the invention is to provide devicesof this nature which are not only more durable than Wood stakes, but are so constructed that when properly placed in the ground the guys attached thereto will have a center draft that will not pull directly on the prongs of the pin or stake, thereby lessening the tendency to pull the devices out of the ground, and enabling them to resist strain more effectually than the ordinary tent pins in use.

A further object is to provide a will support both the main and of a tent.

A further object is to provide a tent pin of the character explained with means to enable it to be used in very loose earth such as in desert lands or on sandy beaches.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the improved stake or pin substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved stake or pin showing the lower portion of a main guy rope attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation, with the guy omitted. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the supplemental member or attachment to enable the stake to be used as well for the guy of a tent fly. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a. section on line 6-6 of Fig. l on a slightly larger scale. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 7 in Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a detail rear elevation of the supplemental or fly guy attachment, with its base loop mounted on the doubled apex of the two prong stake, said doubled apex being shown in section.

Similar reference characters similar parts in all of the views.

in that y g y indicate Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Serial N 0. 44,382.

As shown by comparing the several figures of the drawings the stake or pin, conslstlng of a single piece of wire, comprises substantially parallel legs or prongs 12 which are adapted to be driven into the ground in a manner similar to a croquet wicket, the angle of drive, however, ap proximating the same as that indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. The portion of the wire which connects the legs or prongs 12 is angular as indicated in Fig. 2 and is offset from the plane of the legs 12 to form a head 13, the apex or mid portion of this head being doubled as at 14 for a purpose presently described. The portions 13, 1 1, being all substantially in one plane, provide a head which enables the stake to be readily pushed into the ground as by means of the foot of the user. That is, the legs 12 may be started into the ground, at the desired angle, and then the pressure of the foot will drive it down.

The doubled apex 14 provides means for easily connecting or disconnecting a guy rope a: by slipping the usual loop of said rope over the doubled portion 14. It is to be understood that the guy rope 00 will have the usual adjuster called a slide, the same not being necessary to illustrate herein. Said adjuster or slide provides for varying the effective length of the guy rope in the usual manner.

When the loop of the guy rope w is engaged with the doubled apex 14 as indicated by comparing Figs. 1 and 2, said rope draws to position so that it exerts a pull upon the mid-width of the head of the stake which is offset from the legs or prongs, so that the strain of the guy rope, when the stake or pin is used as indicated in Fig. 1, will be resisted by the sides of the legs or prongs, the pull of the guy rope being always definitely at the center of the head so that if the pull or strain becomes great enough there will be a tendency to draw the upper ends of the legs or prongs toward each other. In other words, a strong pull will tend to collapse the upper ends of the legs and by a lever action spread the lower ends of the legs.

As so far described, the present invention is similar to that illustrated and described in my application Serial No. 801,604, filed November 18, 1913, renewed August 9, 1915,

Serial No. 14610, excepting that at the middle portion of the head I have bent the wire backwardly or away from the line of pull of the guy. This bending or doubling of the mid portion of the head not only provides for the easy attachment or detachment of the guy but it also provides means for connecting thereto, and supporting, an attachment by means of which the guy of a tent fly may be so connected as to avoid the use of additional stakes at a greater distance from the tent as is usual. That is, the usual tent with a fly requires two rows of stakes at each side, one row for the main guys and another row for the fly guys. As shown by comparing Figs. 4, 5 and 8, the

stake attachment for the fly guy y consists of a single piece of metal bent to form a shank 15 having a base loop 16 adapted to slip onto the doubled apex 14 of the two prong stake, the upper end having a hook 17. This attachment is shown as made of a single strip of sheet metal, but I do not limit myself to this specific shape. Obviously it might be made of wire.

With the parts assembled as indicated in V Fig. 4, the loop of the main guy 00 may be passed underneath the portion 14 and up over it and over a portion of the base loop 16 of the attachment, or said loop could be passed over the fly attachment and underneath the doubled apex 14c; then the loop of the fly guy y can be engaged with the hook 17. The pull of the fly guy aids in holding the two prong stake in the ground firmly by reason of the leverage exerted due to such pull.

In order that the stake may be held more firmly in very soft earth or in a sandy beach, I provide prong attachments 18 which serve as anchors to resist a pulling action of the upper portions of the prongs 12. The plates 18 are conveniently formed by providing them with cuts and bending back the portions 19 as indicated by comparing Figs. 6 and 7, so that the plates 18 can be easily slipped into the prongs 12 to about the position shown in Fig. 4. This is done, of course, before the stake is driven into the ground. The concave sides of the plates 18 are, of course, turned so as to resist the pull of the guy rope.

When the plates 18 are employed, the driving of the prongs of the stake into the ground will also carry the plates 18 down because said plates will slide up the prongslQ until their upper portions contact with undersides of the portions 13 of the stake so that said portions 13 will act upon the upper portions of the plates to drive said plates down to just the position or depth necessary to cause said plates to serve their purposes.

The metal wire employed, Whether round or flat in cross section, is more durable than wood, and owing to the cheapness with which the wire can be bent to the form illustrated and described, the article can be produced more cheaply than tent pins or stakes made of a good grade of wood.

There are many other advantages over the ordinary wood pin or stakes. For instance, for lawn use my improved pins do not leave objectionable holes when removed, and do not tear the grass roots injuriously. The points will slip past stones 01' rock where wood pins could notbe driven or would be liable to have their points broken. As the pins can be driven very close to the ground, there are no objectionable protuberances above the surface of the ground to present obstacles tending to trip persons passing by.

The strain of the guy ropes cannot possibly pull the pins out excepting by canting them, and owing to the certainty of the draft being exerted at a point central between the tops of the prongs and to one side of the plane of the prongs, resistance to removal is more effective than with wood stakes. This is largely due to the fact that the pull is from a point in front of the pins, while with the ordinary wood stakes the pull is exerted at the rear of the portion of the stake projecting above the ground.

A further and especial advantage is that if the ground is so soft that a single pin would be liable to be pulled out, or if one that has been driven starts to pull out, another pin can be driven with its head cross ing the previously driven one to which the guy is attached, so that any particular guy will be held by four or six prongs instead of only by two.

Although I have illustrated my improved pins as made of round wire, I do not limit myself thereto, as the wire employed may be of any other suitable shape in cross section.

The point where the guy :10 engages the head or top of the stake is located at a lesser distance from the plane of the legs than the distance between the legs as shown by comparing Figs. 1 and 2. This results in the pull of the guy tending to contract the space between the upper ends of the legs, and results in some tendency to spread the lower ends thereof. Moreover, the shape and proportions are such as to enable the legs to be set in the ground at such an angle as indicated in Fig. 1, without presenting any portion of the stake high enough above the ground to present any material obstacle to pedestrians.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to use of my improved stake in connection with tents, as it is capable of use for any purpose for which stakes are used in connection with guys. For instance, it is of particular use in connection with the guys of lawn tennis nets, since no such protuberanee exists above the surface of the ground as to present obstacles over which people may trip.

Owing to the fact that the middle portion of the head extends back to a point substantially in line with the tops of the prongs, and between said tops, a spike or staple may be readily driven through or over the doubled portion 14 so as to additionally secure the stake if the nature of the ground or very high winds, should render it advisable to employ such additional temporary holding means.

I claim:

1. A two-pronged stake having a head portion offset from the plane of the prongs,

the middle portion of the head extending back to a point substantially in line with the tops of and between the tops of the prongs in substantially the same plane as the rest of the head, whereby the said backwardly extending portion may hold the loop of a guy or support an extension for another guy.

2. The combination with a two-pronged stake having a head formed with an off-set portion, of an extension for a second guy rope, said extension having a loop-shaped base to removably fit said off-set portion.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HENRY O. WELLMAN.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

